Threat of budget disaster rises amid discord in both parties

The consequences are dire if Trump and congressional leaders fail to reach a deal this fall.

By BURGESS EVERETT and HEATHER CAYGLE 07/07/2019 06:56 AM EDT

Washington is deadlocked ahead of a series of fiscal deadlines, time is growing scarce and it’s only going to get harder to avoid a debacle.

Congressional leaders and the Trump administration have so far tried in vain to reach a deal that would avoid stiff budget cuts, a government shutdown and debt default in September. And now ugly splits in both parties are threatening to complicate the talks.

President Donald Trump has always been a mercurial partner for GOP leaders, and Senate Republicans are less than thrilled Trump has deputized conservative hard-liners to negotiate. An initial proposal from some administration officials to freeze federal funding for a year has already drawn blowback from GOP senators eager to boost defense spending amid tensions with Iran.

Meanwhile, Democratic divisions are spiking, with liberal House Democrats furious with their centrist colleagues and Senate Democrats for embracing a border spending package negotiated with Senate Republicans.

Democrats’ biggest strength in the Trump era has been their solidarity, with the party showing impressive unity during the 35-day shutdown to deny Trump his border wall money. Whether Democrats can repeat that feat is now in doubt — a relief to Republicans who have spent much of Trump’s presidency cleaved themselves.

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https://www.politico.com/story/2019/07/07/budget-deadlock-july-1399192